In this video, Brian Knight from Pragmatic Works demonstrates an open-source Power App designed for school districts and teachers to handle discipline incidents efficiently. By consolidating multiple paper forms into a single digital solution, this app streamlines logging, reporting, and managing student discipline directly within Microsoft Teams.
Background and Purpose
Brian explains that after interviewing nearly 20 school districts, it became clear that many were relying on paper-based systems to track discipline issues. The goal of this app is to:
- Digitize discipline incident tracking.
- Standardize forms across schools.
- Provide a simple, user-friendly interface within Teams.
- Allow easy customization to fit unique school requirements.
Requirements
To use the Discipline Power App, school districts need:
- A Microsoft Teams license (no premium Power Apps license required).
- Dataverse, which runs behind the scenes for data storage.
- The app can be installed per school or per district as a dedicated team.
Key Features
The app consolidates common discipline forms and provides several functionalities:
- Student Management: Users can create new student profiles or pre-load rostering information into Dataverse.
- Incident Logging: Track incidents across four severity tiers. Each tier allows for categorization, description, and recommended remediation actions.
- Details and Documentation: Teachers can add written statements, upload Word documents, and include witness accounts.
- Remediation Tracking: Assign administrators to handle remediation actions like detention, behavior contracts, or notifications to parents.
- Reporting: Built-in reporting displays incidents by teacher, location, and severity tier. Power BI integration is also possible for advanced analytics.
Installation Steps
Brian walks viewers through installing the app into Microsoft Teams:
- Go to the GitHub repository (link provided in the video description) and download the zip file containing the app.
- Open Teams and navigate to the Power Apps button. If not visible, use the “three-dot” menu to search for Power Apps.
- Select the team where you want the app installed.
- Install Dataverse in the chosen team. This may take 5–10 minutes.
- Click the Build button, locate the team, and import the downloaded solution.
- Add the administrator’s email address to the User Role table to enable administrative privileges and incident type modifications.
Customization and Open-Source Flexibility
Since the app is open-source, schools can:
- Modify incident tiers, categories, and remediation actions.
- Add custom reporting or integrate with Power BI dashboards.
- Extend the app to include additional features specific to their district’s needs.
Support and Hackathons
Pragmatic Works encourages educators and IT staff to reach out for support or participate in hackathons. These events teach participants how to build or customize applications like this one, accelerating deployment and adoption. The video highlights that the app can get schools to around 90% of a production-ready solution with minimal effort.
Conclusion
Brian Knight emphasizes the simplicity and efficiency of using the Discipline Power App within Teams. By consolidating forms, providing standard remediation actions, and offering reporting capabilities, schools can significantly reduce paperwork while improving tracking and accountability. The open-source nature of the app also encourages customization, ensuring it meets the unique requirements of each school district.
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